A Different Path
by STRQ
Summary: verbally beaten down, Deku, Useless, Less Than, Quirkless. he was told he had no quirk even though he knows he had one. he quirk is a useless one on its own, but with the help of some villains, he finds a new purpose, a new path to follow. one that will let him give back all the world gave him.
1. A New Beginning

Deku, that's what everyone called him. "Useless". Izuku Midoriya, walked slowly through the streets of Musutafu, somewhere near Tatoin station. He could hear a disturbance near the station itself, sounding like some villain on the rampage. He didn't care. Petty criminals, who would be stopped by petty heroes. So he took his time walking towards it. He could see Kamui Woods fighting some thug with a gigantification quirk as it came into sight He already had a dossier on Kamui. He could be an issue but his weaknesses were blatantly obvious just by sight, Fire, or other corrosive substances could easily burn or melt his Arbor quirk, and added to that was that overall, Deku had to say his power was only about D level, Kamui mostly relied on Speed and his well-practiced techniques. The hero and "villain" continued their fight for a bit, and Deku was about to give up and leave, but then finally there was something worthwhile, for although Kamui was the one fighting, a new hero, one who also had a gigantification quirk, had shown up, claiming to be Mt. Lady.

He pulled open his back, reaching in and pulling out his journal, the title reading Analysis of Heroes and Their Weaknesses, No.13, opening it and grabbing a pencil, he started writing down initial thoughts on this "Mt. Lady"

"She definitely has good power, all Gigantification quirks do, it comes with the increase in size, but even with her large size, or perhaps because of it, it took her until almost the end of the fight to get here, and while she did take the thug out her attack was incredibly basic and announced far in advance, any villain with smarts or speed would have had enough time to dodge or block her pretty simple attack, that, and the fact that she didn't wait until Kamui had trapped the villain, which would have allowed for a much easier hit while lowering the risk of a dodge, and overall it seems she is only trying to get by on looks and overwhelming power, rather than technique or intelligence. How truly pathetic. Added to that, her attack, which although perfectly aimed at the villain, still did quite a bit of damage to the ground and surrounding buildings, I can see several smashed windows and cracked walls as well as from the crater where she landed, and if she shows such little regard for city damage like this when fighting such a low threat thug, her potential collateral during larger threats will keep her in the mid-hundreds in ranking, not to mention cost well over millions in property repairs across an average hero career, though the government will probably say that's a good thing because it will "increase industry" or something stupid"

Deku didn't care at all about the multiple people looking weirded out by his internal turned external monologue. He was used to weird looks. Everyone had thought him to be Quirkless. He hadn't shown any sign of a quirk at 4, like the rest of his class. Like eighty percent of people. His mom had minor telekinesis quirk that let her attract items towards her, and his father had some pyrokinesis quirk for breathing fire, so the lack of either or a mix of these, whether it be exactly like his parents or the ability to attract flames into his mouth, along with some inane theory about foot bones he was labeled quirkless, lesser, not as evolved. He had believed them too. Up until a few months ago, that was, when he by chance met the people who would change not just his life, but the world.

He had been walking out at night, a common pastime of his. His dad had left, and his mom had given up on him after they "learned" he was quirkless. So he would head out at night, watching the people passing by, seeing families in windows, happy with their wonderful quirks. None of them knew what it was like to be like him. Thought to be quirkless. He knew inside that he wasn't. He didn't just understand heroes. He could just look at them and see exactly how their quirk could be used. And how it could be abused. No one believed it was a quirk. Fanboy. Weirdo. Obsessed. They thought it was just a side effect of a quirkless boy being obsessed over something he never had. But it wasn't. He was sure he could go, find Mt. Lady, and show her more information on her quirk than even she knew. And he knew that what he had HAD to be a quirk. Journal No. 8, Wild Wild Pussycats, Ragdoll. Analysis quirks existed. But apparently you had to be able to show some outward sign of it. Ragdoll always had wide-open eyes, as if eternally "searching" He didn't have such outward signs, no funny eyes or markings around his head.

That's when he had found them. He had been walking for quite a while, in the same direction. Longer than he would have usually gone, he was in the city proper now. And he saw them. A man with hands all over and a guy made of smoke. They were, it seemed, recruiting. They were talking to some thug in an alley, looked like he had some mutation quirk that gave him four arms. As it seemed their conversation finished, he saw the smoke man open a large circle of swirling smokey blackness and the mutation quirk walked through, and he didn't appear on the other side. Almost unconsciously, he pulled out his journal. He knew these weren't heroes. Not with the look of them and this back alley meeting. Heroes also never went out recruiting, because they were lazy that way. People had to come to them, like they were better than non-pros or something. But anyways a warping quirk was rare, he needed to mark this down because he might not be able to get another chance to see one in action. He had just finished a basic sketch and written a few things when he looked up and realized they were right in front of him. He hadn't even heard them approaching because he was so intent on his writing, a common mistake he made, seeing an interesting quirk and he would completely blank out the world around him.

"Well, kid, sorry to have to do this but we can't have any witnesses" the hand guy's voice was high pitched and slightly unhinged. He couldn't be much older than Deku. he was reaching a hand out to Deku's face, so it was clear he had some kind of offensive contact-based quirk. Deku took a step back, not wanting to go out easily, raising the journal somewhat defensively. But before he could touch him the smoke villain spoke.

"Tomura." his voice was deep and much more villain-like. "Before you do anything too rash, look at the title of the journal he holds. He could prove to be useful" the hand man, Tomura, grabbed the journal from Deku, who stood there, waiting. He could be useful to them? That wasn't something he had heard before. He noted that this Tomura kept one finger off the journal.

"Analysis of Heroes and Their Weaknesses...No.13...how...interesting…" Tomura looked at Deku, at least he turned he face towards Deku, since he couldn't actually see the villain's eyes what with the hand covering his face.

"You wouldn't happen to be a villain, would you? Something like this, well, if the heroes" the word was filled with sarcastic malice "ever found this on you they wouldn't think very nicely of you. Categorizing their weaknesses, their strengths, information like this is something heroes don't like getting out"

Deku laughed, which seemed to surprise the two villains. It wasn't a forced laugh, but there wasn't any humor in it. It was a laugh at the irony of the situation. All his life he wanted to be noticed and now here he was, getting noticed by the villains. The thought didn't bother him as much as he would have thought. "As if a hero would ever even notice me" he put just as much venom into the word as Tomura had "I'm invisible in this society. Quirkless. At least that's what they think. But I'm not quirkless. What they call quirkless, they really just mean, not an obvious quirk. Not a flashy or useful one. How could a quirkless person know that you" he continued, pointing at the smoke guy "have some kind of warp quirk, more than likely based on fixed locations so that you don't have to worry about distance, and you, with the hands, have some kind of contact-based quirk that destroys things, but only if all five fingers touch"

There was silence in the alley for a minute He could see the smoke guy was watching Tomura more than he was Deku. "Kurogiri, I like this kid...let's take him to Father, he would love to meet him I'm sure. What's your name kid." the guy, Tomura was idly scratching at his neck, while Kurogiri, looked somewhat relieved. He presumed that his earlier sentiments about Tomura's mental state being unstable had been correct, and his analysis could have gone either way, pleasing or angering him.

Izuku felt a smile form on his face, one that to outsiders would have seemed cruel and cold, one that didn't fit at all with his face. "Izuku. But you can just call me what society has. Deku"

After that meeting, he had been taken to their base, some hidden bar. Passing through Kurogiri's warp was weird, but not unpleasant. Feeling like cold smoke, like liquid nitrogen vapor. After they explained that they were building a group, a League of Villains, that would take down the Symbol of Peace, they asked him for his home's location, confirming for him how the Kurogiri's quirk worked, they let him go back home for a bit so he could collect anything he needed and move it to their secret hideout, which he figured was somewhere in Kamino based on the few glimpses of city he could see through the windows. After that, he had spent some time explaining everything in his journals to the villains. After that, a few days later he met, well, not really "met" as it was an audio-only call, the leader of the villains. He refused to give a name but said that Deku was right, he did indeed have a quirk, a powerful one that he would have normally taken for himself (quirk stealing quirk? It seemed like he didn't even need to see, villains would just tell him their quirks) but he had a better idea. And he explained to them all a plan.

Over the next few months, he lived a double life. He attended school back at his home, continued to get picked on, and silently seethed as one of his classmates continued to be brash cocky asshole towards everyone. When they passed out forms for them to state which high school they wanted to go to, Deku just put the general high school in the same area. Tomura had instructed him to do so. Then at night, he would leave, being warped to the villains, where he went through physical training to increase his body's strength. It seemed the leader had many many quirks, one of which allowed him to make others gain the benefits of a full night's rest in only a few minutes. As the end of the school year approached, he finally learned what the plan was in its entirety.

The leader, whose name he now knew was All for One, would give him a quirk. It was a simple one, a strength enhancer, and he would apply to UA high school. He would pass the exam, and would gain a spot in their hero course. While there he would use his actual quirk, which they had named Quick Study, to learn everything about the hero course students, and the UA teachers. Information he would feed them, and in return, he wouldn't be targeted in an attack they had planned. It was simple but effective. The world, and especially Japan, was a swirling mass of peace. No one really thought anything bad would happen. Not with All Might, the Symbol of Peace presiding strong in Japan as the Number One Hero.

The strength enhancer quirk wasn't bad either, thought the process to get it was difficult. All for One it seemed was very injured, being on many life support systems. Deku had to kneel for him to reach out and touch Deku, who felt like fire was burning through him. It almost drove him crazy, and he needed a few days to recover. After that, they gave him a few weeks to test it out, and he figured how it worked almost immediately. It actually had several parts, part strength enhancer quirk, part reinforcement quirk, clearly, this was a quirk of someone who had two parents with quirks, given its complexity. Whenever he would hit something, his body would harden for a split second, and the recoil energy would be stored within him. This hardening meant he could safely punch something like solid concrete with no injury. Then whenever he wanted he could use the stored recoil energy to amplify his attacks, and he could use it as he pleased with some training. At the start he had been all or nothing, releasing all of the stored up energy in the next attack or attacks if he had a lot. That had been dangerous and could have hurt him as his ability to store energy got greater. The more he had stored the longer and harder he could hit. Looking at it like it was a video game, when he had first gotten the quirk, named Backlash, he had a "tank" of up to 100 points, which he could use to amplify his hits, one 'point' equalling a regular punch that he could throw. But now after only a few weeks, he could store up to 600, though it did seem there was a max to how much he could release in one attack, about 30 "points" of energy.

Now, as the entrance exam approached, he spent the last few days with the villains prepping by just filling up on energy and practicing his sparring with several fighting type members they had picked up. They stood no chance against him. Whenever they would land a hit, they were only fueling his quirk, and they would then quickly go down in a blaze of crackling energy. The day before, they even gave him some support items that they had added to his transcript as "necessary for quirk performance" these were a shoulder harness and arm braces, all sleek steel, that were spring-loaded so that when he punched his arm would be pulled back by the springs. Thes was after he had almost broken his arm getting it stuck in a wall after punching through it.

Then it was the day of the UA exam. He left from the villain's hideout, wearing a nice dress shirt, black vest, green tie, and dress shorts, provided by Tomura. If he wanted to really impress then he should dress the part. He felt awkward at first, he wasn't really used to this outfit and would have preferred his school costume, but he had his support gear on under it and all he had to do was remove the outer layers and he was good to fight. Perhaps wearing essentially two costumes in one wasn't the smartest idea, but the outside temperature was quite cold this time of year and he was fine.

When he got to the school, it was hard not to scowl. All these stupid wannabe heroes with their perfect quirks. A few he could see were obvious, heteromorphic types, also called mutation quirks. They were simple quirks to be sure but effective. Other students had seemingly useless mutations, but those were probably the transformation type quirk users. Quirks like that could be powerful or near useless, though not as useless as some mutation quirks. The ones he really needed to keep an eye on were the "emitters" like what he had been given. Since they had almost no outward sign of their quirk, figuring them out was the hardest at first, but they also tended to be the most flashy once they started using theirs. And then almost like a sign from above,that jerk from his high school, Bakugo arrived right at the same time he did. He had heard something about him nearly getting killed by some villain but hadn't really cared. He was more focused on the fact that All for One had said All Might would be working at UA. that was his overall goal. The jerk spat some insult as he passed but Deku just kept going. He was a basic explosion emitter type quirk. He had tons of info about him. He had admired Bakugo once, but he was the exact opposite of everything he once thought heroes should be. If someone like him would be praised and proclaimed as a future hero, then it was no wonder a fledgling villain like him could just walk into UA, with no problem, and apply to their hero curse. The hero society was getting lazy.

The written exam was so simple that he basically might as well have slept through it. He had been "obsessed" with heroes and hero work since his childhood, he knew every aspect of their society and culture. He had been studying it after all, like any predator studied their enemy. Though he almost answered several questions wrong because of his anti-hero biased answers instead of the sappy pro hero answers they expected. Then finally it was time for the practical. This was where he had to really excel, he could ace the written but failing the practical would land him in general or support class. Or worse, business class. They got some spiel from a needlessly loud hero Present Mic about the parameters but he tuned him out, he was just repeating the same thing that was on the handout they had all been given after the written portion. Finally, though, they were allowed to leave, and if need be, change to their training outfits. He noticed that in the changing room he was one of only very few who actually had support gear, he saw one with what looked like a focusing belt and another with something over their eyes. After changing they were taken on a short bus ride to the first thing that actually impressed him at UA, the training grounds. Huge mock cities, he presumed made using the Pro Hero Cementoss, each one large enough that together they could house most of Musutafu with no problem. While the rest were milling about, he waited, at the front of the crowd. He had eyed them on the way over. None in his group were much threat to him. There were a few heteromorphisms that might pass, including a really obnoxious one who it seemed had some mechanical speed quirk. There was also a girl who he thought he might ask Tomura to also exclude from attacking if she passed because she looked really nice. He saw a few things she touched start floating and figured out she had a pretty basic but powerful quirk that either nullified or reversed gravity.

He moved through the crowd of hopeful students, getting to the front of them, nearest the doors. He didn't see that jerk Bakugo in the crowd so that was at least one quirk he didn't have to worry about interfering with him as he fought. In front of him, he saw the training ground doors opening, and while the rest of the crowd were milling around, he crouched down, feeling his stored energy starting to build up, then he heard the announcer say start, and with a little juice, was off immediately, leaving dust behind. Behind him, he heard the others finally start running as well after wasting time listening to the hero explain that there were no countdowns or something. But he wasn't listening. He already saw one of those robots, and putting some power into his arm, smashed through it with a crackle of golden energy. 3 points, in the bag. The best part of his power was that even though it took a but to one hit things, he regained some of the energy back in recoil, about 60% regain. Not stopping there, and hearing other quirks starting to go off, he continued, turning a corner and seeing a whole group of various point levels turning to face him. Boosting up to max power, he jumped from the ground, plotting a route and immediately smashing through all 8 of the robots in the crowd, already through them before their wreckage hit the ground. He frowned though. He remembered 4 things on the handout but had only seen three types. As he continued fighting racking up points, he tried to think if that annoying Present Mic had said anything about it. Probably, but he couldn't be sure. That's when he heard it.

Deep rumbling and shaking, clouds of dust rising above the buildings and a mechanical roar. There it was. The fourth type of villain. It was huge for sure, towering above even the tallest buildings in the fake city. According to the handout, it was worthless to fight, and would be going crazy in the narrow streets of the city. Distantly over its noise, he could hear Present Mic shouting something about the time left. He turned, calmly deciding that this was worthless, and it would be better off getting more points. But as he turned away, feeling the crackling energy well up again, feeling that internally he was running at about a third of his energy left, he heard a shout of pain behind him. It was that girl, with the floating quirk. He had seen her around the city, making various villains float then crash to the ground. It was risky as a strategy as anyone with a ranged quirk could have easily destroyed them before they fell. He was sure that the other support item wearer, the one he saw with the belt who had some laser quirk would have if he hadn't been throwing up in an alley last he saw him. He really didn't care. She could have just floated the debris that was trapping her and gotten out of the way. But he looked around.

The buildings here were especially narrow. He knew with his remaining power that he had enough. He noticed when it had first appeared a small gap in its head/neck area. Small for the robot perhaps but it was large enough to fit in. he remembered what All for One had said.

"Make an impression. Stand out. Play the part of a hero and they'll never suspect you as one of my own"

"Well since the damn heroes are probably watching…" Deku went all out, jumping up at full power, bouncing from building to building, a trick he had picked up after a week of training. From the rooftop, he made it to the robot's arm, and from there, up to its shoulder to the neck gap. For a second he almost lost his balance, and being this high up vertigo struck for a second. But he shook it off jumping into its internal mechanisms, punching pull strength left and right, hearing metal crunch and twist, wires snapping and explosions going off. One such explosion hit him head-on and though his quirk did offer some protection from the physical damage, the fire still hurt plenty and he was blasted out of the robot in extreme pain, flaming he prepared to hit the ground at full force, but instead with a slap, he was floating, and then gently landed on the ground instead. Looking up, he saw gravity girl landing next to him on a bit of debris as the large 0 point villain slowly went into meltdown behind them. Though he was kind of burnt, he struggled to get up, but unfortunately, at that time there was a buzzer and the announcer called the exam as over. Sitting back, he sighed. His clothing was burned, as was his skin, and it was hard to move. He heard the gravity girl vomiting, and after, he asked her. "What's your name, round face?"

She looked at him in surprise "M-my name is Uraraka. Ochako Uraraka." she hesitantly dropped off the debris, looked like a bit of a Three Pointer.

"Thanks, for the save I guess. I didn't really need it, I would have survived the fall" he saw her blushing embarrassed. He didn't really care. Before she could say anything he heard an old lady walking around the others, before seeing him and waddling over.

"Oh dear, that attack did bang you up quite a bit didn't it" he made a grunt as a reply. He presumed this was the one with the healing quirk All for One had told him about. With a kiss, which was incredibly awkward, he felt his burns healing up as a green glow surrounded him. Rather than feeling tired though he felt his kinetic energy reserves drinking. That was new, he made a mental note to write that down. He hadn't known that it could be used for healing in place of stamina. Afterward, as he was walking out, he noted the few other students who he had identified as potentially strong were looking at him and his metal bracing in what he assumed was awe. He ignored them, just as they would have ignored all of him only a year previously. After he changed back into his suit and vest, he left UA, heading around the side of the school across the street, where he pulled a small device from his pocket, pressing the button on it. A few seconds later, Kurogiri's warp gate opened, and he stepped through, ready to inform them of everything he had already learned. When he arrived, however, he wasn't at the bar. They were at a different location. He stepped out onto a catwalk, next to him was Tomura, behind him Kurogiri. Below them, a crowd of petty thugs and criminals milled about around a large tank filled with semi-opaque liquid. Inside it, he could see a hulking black shape.

"Well, Midoriya, how did your..hero training go?" Tomura's voice was gleeful, clearly whatever was in the tank was quite pleasing to him. He only had one hand today, the one on his face. Looking around at the assembled thugs he could tell none of them were really too dangerous.

"It went quite well. The written exam was exactly what the info said it would be. And the practical was child's play with this new quirk" he said, holding up his hand, feeling the power crackle around his arm, before he let it simply disperse. With the number of brawler types he saw below he would have no problem recharging. Behind him, he heard Kurogiri speak.

"We have already made arrangements to have your quirk registration changed, since you will need it. There is also the question of a "hero" costume. Though if you do not make the hero course we will have to use black market sellers."

"Oh, there should be no worry on that front. There's no way they're not taking me after that exam" Deku smiled, rummaging in his bag. "I do have some things I'd like for my costume though that UA would raise too many questions about" he pulled out a sheet with designs and notes on it, some circled in red "the circled ones are what I'll need the league to provide" he pulled his notebook and pencil out. " and as for my part, I'll give you more detailed profiled soon, but aside from Bakugo who you already know about, I really only noticed 4-5 from my exam area that seemed worthy, here's what I noted about their quirks. I got one name, Ochako Uraraka. She did help me out, pointless as it was. I'd ask that she be put on the whitelist. We could use her. She has a gravitational manipulation quirk. It works similar to you Tomura, in that all five of her fingers must touch, after that, whatever she touches is no longer affected by gravity. Not very strong or fast. But she looked very cooperative, meaning easily manipulated"

"Good...good...well then" Tomura laughed and spread his hands "we almost have every piece in place. All you need to do for us now is to get accepted, give us all the information on other's quirks, and we'll take care of the rest. Play your part well, Deku. you're now pretending to be a hero" he sneered. "So try not to slip up and give us away." he scratched his neck a bit, "Father thinks very highly of you and has made you a very important and risky piece" Deku nodded. Over the last ten months, although he hadn't seen All for One often, he could see why Tomura called him Father. Izuku's own lack of a father made him want to call him that as well, but it was still too awkward. Eventually though. Eventually, he would call All for One father. After he helped bring about the destruction of the symbol of peace, the hypocrite All Might.

_The teachers watched the student, Izuku Midoriya. He had a strong quirk, one that it seemed allowed him to store energy from the recoil of being hit and turn it into power for himself. In other words, in a fight with other brawler types, he would always win since they'd only strengthen him. It was strange though. His quirk registration had only recently been changed from Quirkless. Though it would make sense, if he had never been one to fight, finding out you had a quirk that relied on being hit would seem to take longer to appear. Still, they felt there was something odd about him. It didn't seem like he needed the support gear to use his quirk, but rather used it to enhance his abilities. The reasoning on the form said that overuse of his strength could damage his arms, so the harness restricted him from that. Still. It was off to a few. Whether everything was really as it seemed, though they would just have to wait and see, He had completely beat out every other examinee with 64 villain points and 45 hero points. And his score on the written was something they typically only saw from intelligence type quirks. There were actually a few bids from Business course teachers to have him in their class, but they decided he had to be a hero course, in the end. But they'd keep an eye on him. For better or worse._


	2. Branching Twists

Deku sat in his room, idly spinning in his desk chair. It was five in the morning, and he was just waiting to be able to head to UA. he had just gotten back from an all-night training and information sharing session. He felt like his quirk, his real quirk, Quick Study, was improving. Whenever he saw a Quirk in action if he closed his eyes he could visualize a sort of "statistics" screen that showed him the strengths and weaknesses of the quirk in terms of power, mobility, and overall effectiveness, ranked on a scale of one to five. He used this now in his journals, writing down all the rankings, updating even the first few with the new information. He looked over at his bed. Laying on it was the UA uniform. He had gotten the letter while he was with Tomura and Kurogiri, unfortunately, his mom saw it. It had taken quite a bit to convince her that he was only in the general studies course, not the hero course or anything like that. He was still sure she was suspicious but she had left him alone. As he had predicted, he had top scores in both the written and practical, even beating out that idiot Bakugo. That would put him overall as the third in his class, only behind the two that would be from recommendation, and fifth overall in the hero course.

He had his quirk registered, and had turned in his costume design to the UA clothing allowance. He knew they were probably working on it right now, and he smiled, thinking about it. They'd unknowingly make the costume of a villain. Of course, the special items were being handled by other channels, but the bulk majority of the costume was being made at the hero's expense. He would have laughed if it wouldn't have woken his mother. He sighed. He knew his mother was only trying to take care of him. But she was a fool just like the rest of the world. He leaned back again, checking the clock. 5:45. He got up, stretching, doing a few pushups and situps before heading into the shower. The cascading water felt very good against his face, so much so that when he got out it was already 6:15. The first bell at UA was at 7, and he still had to eat and get dressed, plus the walk there. Not really feeling up to a full breakfast, he quickly ate some steamed rice and vegetables, then hastily put on his uniform. He knew that Kurogiri would practically have a heart attack with how he did the tie, but if he wanted to really throw people off the trail, a messy high school kid who happened to have a good quirk would be the way. He had been watching plenty of movies in his spare time, American hero movies from before quirks, figuring out how hero wannabes were supposed to act. They always had messy clothes, bright hopeful attitudes and were such rays of sunshine. It was almost too disgusting to watch. Those old movies were like propaganda. Still, with the help of those, All for One, and the knowledge that he could call for Kurogiri if things got shaky, he felt that he had enough confidence to pull off the "hero" act for however long he needed.

The school was a 30 minute walk, but he took his time getting there. He was trying to compose his face into what he thought a new student just attending UA to be a hero would look like, attending the most popular hero course in Japan. A smile? Definitely. What did happy smiles look like? He only knew the calculating smile he used around the League of Villains, the one that even made Kurogiri shudder sometimes. While he walked he took some time practicing it whenever he passed through an empty alleyway, and he felt he had it just right. He looked just like those clueless idiots during the entrance exam. Arriving at the front gates, he looked up at the building once more, putting the dopey fake smile on for full effect. He saw a few older students looking his way and judging by their reactions they completely bought the act. He made his way into the school, looking at the countless different quirks. He knew that his mission was only for class 1-A, and if he could, the recommended students from 1-B as well, he even had a sleek black notebook provided by the league for the very purpose. But he made a mental note to go and buy a few extra notebooks for his own personal use. While Hero course students were certainly always going to be targeted, support course quirks could be very helpful as could some in business, if they had good analysis quirks like his. As he walked up through the school, he saw fewer students, more than likely he would be the last to arrive at the class. He passed the door to 1-B and saw it was partially open, the hero Vlad King was already inside taking roll call. He had Vlad King, the Blood Hero. he had quite a villainous quirk, but had managed to carve out a name as a hero. Izuku could tell by looking at him that he restricted himself to only controlling his own blood. It was a shame, but there was no use in trying to turn teachers.

Opening the door to 1-A he sighed internally. Most of the students were already seated, and knowing it was assigned seating he immediately realized his own seat was right behind Bakugo's. Great. He'd have that hothead asshole in front of him all year. Speaking of which.

"Hey you damn nerd, how the hell did you get in here!" Bakugo was up and storming at him. Deku could see that hatred and anger was all he ever seemed to think about "You are a damn quirkless nobody. You cant even stand against me how the hell did you trick your way into UA huh?" he was reaching back to swing at him, and Deku saw it coming a mile away. 2% should be good enough for this. Feeling the power shooting through him, his arm flashed upwards, catching Bakugo's wrist easily and redirecting it so he spun around and fell flat on his face, then his arm was back down at his side as he stepped over Bakugo's prone form, all while keeping that smile on his face. He could see the rest of the class had various looks of shock or disinterest on their faces and could hear their whispers.

"Quirkless? no way with those moves." "is he crazy, I heard that guy was the best in the hero course exam" "he doesn't look like much but that was definitely faster than any normal person"

Inwardly, he smirked. They had no idea. He could see Bakugo getting up and getting ready to probably attack him again, but before he could the door opened, and their teacher walked in. he was really tired looking, dark bags under his eyes, messy black shoulder-length hair and a grey scarf piled around his neck and plain black clothes. When he spoke, his voice even sounded tired.

"Students should be quiet and in their seats before the bell rings. I would tell you to go sit down, but I'm going to need all of you put these uniforms on and head outside to the practice fields. Im Mr. Aizawa, your homeroom teacher by the way." he pulled out a red white and blue uniform, with the lines on the front making the shape of a U and A. clever. While they were changing, Deku made sure to keep an eye on one person he hadn't seen at the exams, the one with white and red split hair. He must have been one of the recommendations, and the other the girl with the overlarge hair. If their teacher was making them change into these uniforms he must have had some kind of physical test prepared, so this would be a perfect time to observe. And indeed, 5 minutes later when they were standing outside in what looked like a really nice track and field arena, their teacher confirmed his suspicions.

"Today you'll be taking a Quirk Apprehension Test." there were shouts of surprise and questions about missing the initiation from several students, which the teacher ignored. Deku was already liking this guy. "It's the only rational way to determine whether or not you really belong here" Deku noted that he looked directly at the kid with purple hair when he said this. Clearly he thought the kid was a weak link. "Midoriya" he continued. "You were at the top of the exam. How far could you throw a softball in junior high"

"About sixty meters" he could hear Bakugo scoff. He knew Bakugo had been the best, averaging 71 meters, though not like the good highschool sports team people who he heard could throw upwards of 90 meters.

"In Junior high, you were tested on your physical strength without your quirks" droned Aizawa "that is pointless and irrational. This is a world of quirks, school systems just need to accept that. They still try to cling to a world where everyone is equal. Midoriya, throw the ball using your quirk. I don't care how you do it, just stay in the circle" Deku took the ball, ignoring the glare he could feel from Bakugo. He only had to stay in the circle huh? His power was strongest when used in a punch or a kick. Although it did amplify his throwing power, which he figured out after embedding a knife in solid concrete, it was nowhere near as strong. He felt the ball, getting an idea for its heft. It could probably withstand a full power hit. He'd have to time it just right though or it'd fly off askew. Charging up, he crouched down, feeling the typical golden lightning crackling around him, then he tossed the ball up, drew back his fist, and right as it started falling, punched it full force. The ball went soaring off, leaving a smoke trail behind it. He looked back with a smirk, seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces. Aizawawas looking down at his phone monitor, before holding it up to show the class. 700.5 meters. He turned to Bakugo, with a smug smirk. The fool looked like he had just seen a dog suddenly speak.

"In this Quirk Apprehension Test, you're all going to take eight fitness tests. Using your quirks this time, unlike before. I'm going to rank you based on the results." started Aizawa, looking at them almost menacingly. "The person in last place after all eight will be deemed to have no potential, and will be expelled immediately." Deku smiled in anticipation. If these were the same eight tests from junior high, then he knew he could get some astounding results on most of them. Around him he could see other students preparing, most he saw looked nervous, save for the two recommendation students, Bakugo who was still glaring at him, the speed quirk guy who was drinking something and a frog quirk girl. He made sure to keep an eye on her, he knew there were lots of quirks where the quirk was essentially just the same powers as the animal involved, Selkie, Gang Orca, Mirko, all were examples that came to mind. As such while her quirk was on the surface self-explanatory, knowing her general personality would help him determine if she would be on the list.

The first test was the 50-meter dash. This was incredibly easy, even only putting just a little bit of his power into it he managed 4.02 seconds. He came in just ahead of Bakugo again, much to his delight. He felt like he would have done something but with Aizawa watching he just stormed off. After that, they did the standing long jump, another one that was quite easy, he easily cleared the sandbox they were supposed to be jumping into. After that, came Grip strength, where he pulled in at 280.5 kg, once again showing that his power was really best at hitting and only amplified his other aspects slightly beyond his normal. During the repeated side steps, he got over 100 side steps in the alloted minute, and then they were back to the softball throw. As they were testing alphabetically this time, Bakugo went before him. He got a throw of 705.2 which put a real smug smile on his face. Deku although he had already thrown asked to go again, as he thought he could improve his technique. Aizawa didn't see any reason not to, so Deku went again, and timed his hit better, pulling out 706.8 meters this time, not the largest improvement, but still pretty good. But both of them were put to shame by Uraraka, who returned with a result of infinite. After those it was the tests he did mostly average at, seated toe touches, sit ups, and the long distance run.

Then it was time for the results. They all gathered back where they had started while Aizawa let the results calculated. After only a minute or so of calculation, he presented the results in a holographic display. Deku made sure to memorize the list of names.

"So theres are your results…" he paused while the read them

1: Momo Yaoyorozu

2: Shoto Todoroki

3: Izuku Midoriya

4: Katsuki Bakugo

5: Tenya Iida

6: Fumikage Tokoyami

7: Mezo Shoji

8: Mashirao Ojiro

9: Eijiro Kirishima

10: Mina Ashido

So those were the top ten students. He looked over at Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. He hadn't seen them do anything too flashy during the tests, but he had figured out their quirks, Creation and Half Cold Half Hot. he supposed that it was just them being generally better overall rather than just having one large score pushing them up. Still he had a feeling if he could see the calculation, they two would be just barely above him. He quickly scanned the rest, specifically to see who'd be leaving the class.

20: Minoru Mineta.

Well at least that weirdo would be gone. Deku hadn't known him for even a day and had already figured him out to be a huge pervert. After a few seconds Aizawa continued speaking

"...also I was lying about the expulsion. It was a rational deception to make sure you did your best during the test"

Well, that was disappointing. Deku had been hoping that he wouldn't have to see that pervert after this test. He saw that most of the students look relieved, Todoroki didn't look fazed and Yaoyarozu looked confused.

"Well, of course, it was a lie. Guess I was the only one who realized that. Sorry, should have mentioned it" apologized Yaoyarozu

"Alright, class dismissed," said Aizawa. "Head back inside and get changed for class again." then without a further tired glance, he walked away, back off towards the buildings. Deku smiled, looking around at the other students as they walked back. The two, Iida and Uraraka, came up to him, complimenting him on his strength.

"Wow, you were so strong! The way you just punched the ball" commented Ochako, making a swinging motion with her arm not at all like how he punched.

"To be one of the top three in the class is an honorable position, even if you can't be the top, that is only to be expected from students let in by recommendation" added Iida, gesturing around pointlessly. Deku smiled, deflecting with some noncommittal responses. These two were almost unbearable with their hero wannabe attitudes. Especially the girl. She was just so cheerful. It was a relief to part ways at the changing rooms. He couldn't stand her bubbly "I can be a hero" nonsense. But there was a strange feeling He ignored it through the rest of the day. He kept looking at the wall lockers at the side of the room. Those must be where the hero costumes would be kept. He didn't pay attention during class, instead he started writing down everything he had seen from Class 1-A's quirks, paying special attention to those top 10 students other than him and Bakugo. The two recommended students really caught his eye. He hadn't heard of Yaoyorozu, a quick search in between classes had brought up a famous Yaoyarozu, a man with a quirk that let him create replicas of anything he touched, which he used to mass-produce simple hero gear and get rich, so he figured that was probably her father. He made sure to mark that down, she seemed smart, she was rich and had a good quirk. Whitelist material. But as for Todoroki. He knew that last name, and his quirk and hair made it clear. He was the son of Endeavor. During lunch, though Uraraka and Iida made him sit with them, he kept an ear out and heard several people confirm it. The son of the number 2 hero. If he was at all like his father he's be cruel efficient and stupidly driven to be a top hero.

He put Todoroki as a maybe. Only time would be able to tell. At the end of the day, he had a pretty detailed list of all his 'classmates' written down, and he was excited to head back to the bar and share what he had learned. Unfortunately, when he was leaving, Iida caught up to him, talking about how amazing their first day was, and then to make it better, Uraraka as well, asking if they were going to the station. He had no choice but to walk to the train station with them, even though he'd typically just walk. But walking there, the sun setting over the city, the other two talking, forcing himself to laugh. It wasn't that bad. Some deep part of him, the one he had buried long ago that longed for friends reaching up again. He felt as if these two had managed to put a small fracture in the mask of darkness he wore around his heart. And just there for a few seconds he felt like this was fun. He shook that off though. Pretending he had to take a call, he told the two to just go on ahead, that he would catch the next train. Then he went around outside the station, and into an alley. He sighed, resting his head against the wall, before pressing the button in his pocket, waiting to feel the warp gate envelop him with it's cool misty grasp.

Stepping forward into the bar, he tossed the black notebook onto the bar. Kurogiri was the only one in the room, gently cleaning a glass. He had a mocktail on the counter, orange his favorite. He had tried some of the alcoholic drinks Kurogiri could make but hated the taste, so he stuck to non-alcoholic drinks.

"So Midoriya, I take it you had an eventful first day. You called my warp much later than usual" Kurogiri began leafing through Deku's notebook, reading what he had written already while Deku downed the drink. It was delicious and refreshing as always. Deku took his time forming a response, composing himself. The feeling he had felt walking to the train station with his classmates. Was he really that easily swayed in his beliefs? No he was just shaken because it was a new experience. Now that he knew what to expect he could adapt and overcome it.

"They're all a bunch of fools. But the training we've been doing has made this much easier. I don't even need to see most quirks in action to tell what they are, the only tough ones still are emitters. There are a few you'll see who i've listed as potential converts and or blackmail allies. Momo Yaoyarozu, recommended student, she has a creation quirk, we could use it to cut down on equipment costs by a lot. Shoto Todoroki, the other recommendation student could pose a problem, he's Endeavors son, and it looks like he has a natural combination of both his father's quirk and probably his mother's Ice quirk. Powerful on its own but together he could be unstoppable. Tomorrow out class will be having hero basic training, this will be the first contact with All Might, plus a good way to see quirks more closely." Deku paused to swirl the last of the drink around the glass before downing it. "Aside from those two, there's two heteromorphic quirks, tentacle arms, and one with earphone jacks for earlobes, they're Mzo Shoji and Kyoka Jiro. Those two together likely could be powerful allies for spy and reconnaissance. Shoji also ranked 7th in the Quirk tests we did, so he could be good for muscle, he had the top score on grip strength"

"Impressive. Tomura is currently out finalizing some things for the next stage of the plan. We act tomorrow. Unless you have any need of us, I will let you get back to your house. We will need you in top shape for the next part of the plan" Deku nodded, stretching as he stood. He still had a bit of stored energy and if he needed to recharge he had purchased a punching bag for his room. Stepping back through the portal, he emerged in the alley near his home, just out of sight of any cameras and nosy neighbors Heading up to his apartment, he walked in, hearing his mom busy in the kitchen. She had seemed happier ever since hearing about him going to UA. even though he felt a bit bad about lying to her about which course he was in, it was the best way to protect her from the truth. If she knew he was working for the villains...he tried not to think about what would have to happen, He went up to his room, dropping off all his things, before heading over to the door and listening. His mom was still busy, he could hear things sissling in the kitchen. Softly closing the door, he turned the lock, something he rarely ever dis, before heading over to his laptop, opening it and logging in to a secret website that he had to use a special code, called an access key to even connect to. It was a forum/chat room for villains, and when he logged in, DekuBacklashLoV, he saw he had a chat notification from KnivesAreCuteHT.

KnivesAreCuteHT: Hey love what's going on. I've heard you are actually pretending to be a US Student?

Deku rolled his eyes, they always called him love because of his League of Villains tag that had been added to his username because Tomura insisted.

DekuBacklashLoV: yeah, and they're all completely insufferable. But the league now has some prime info. You know Endeavor's son is in my class?

KnivesAreCuteHT: no way! Is he super strong? Oh, hold up. Brb Deku-kun!

KnivesAreCuteHT: sorry 'bout that love, i'm just hehe...finishing up some work~

DekuBacklashLoV: another murder? Which news station should I look for news on this time?

KnivesAreCuteHT: ok Deku-kun you're so cute. Gotta run now though, bye~!

KnivesAreCuteHT is now Offline

Deku leaned back with a sigh. Knives was pretty active in the forums, especially in threads about various villains favorite spots to mug or kill people. Based on her profile he was almost sure she had some kind of blood related quirk. That or she was simply a messed up girl with Hematolagnia. Either way they had met in a thread posed by another user, MuscularMan where he had been bragging that only strength based quirks were the best for villains and none was better than his. Knives had been agreeing because they made people bloody and Deku had been saying no matter what his quirk was it couldn't beat his own. His thoughts were interrupted by his mother's call, he quickly checked what they next few keys would be and when they'd change, then logged out and closed his laptop, heading down to have dinner.

0-0-0

The next day, Deku felt a little bit better than he had the day before, All for One's quirk, Hypnosleep, was good, but it was no replacement for the real thing. He felt more refreshed that morning, though it might have just been because today was the say they'd finally start doing stuff, and he'd get to so something action-y. Preparing himself more than yesterday, he set out with his uniform looking impeccable today. He left a few minutes earlier than he typically would, giving his mom only a quick goodbye before he ran out. He didn't want to take any time getting there today. The thrill of what he had to do was almost like what he used to feel back before he was told he had no quirk, whenever he'd see a up the steps to the school this time, he made it to 1-A before most of the other people. The only ones here before him were Yaoyarozu, Todoroki, and Iida. he put his mask back on and engaged them in some conversation. At least he tried. Todoroki opted out and Iida pretty much just took off talking at full speed. It was hard for him or Momo to get more than a "mhm" in with him going on about the honor of attending UA and his expectations on what Hero Basic Training would be like.

Deku quietly backed out of that conversation once more people started showing up, and he was practically assaulted by another top 10, Eijiro Kirishima, who thought he was really "manly" with his uniform looking so spotless. After their rather quick homeroom, Deku heard him. Finally, they'd meet face to face, unknowingly the Symbol of Peace would be just a few meters from the villain who'd end him. All Might, strode into the room, being boisterous and loud, not just in volume but also by presence. Just standing there in front of the class he could see his fellow classmates looking inspired, and he tried his best to mimic the look. Even Bakugo looked not quite as angry.

"Alright, you newbies! I am here to teach Hero Basic Training. And today ...BATTLE TRAINING!"

Deku smirked. Battle training, great, there couldn't be a better option for observing quirks than in battle.

"And to go along with this...you'll need these of course!" he pressed a button on a small remote as he pointed to the lockers Deku had noted yesterday, which indeed slid open revealing their hero costumes, packed away in numbered suitcases. He really smiled this time. He had gotten the special parts from the league days ago, he supposed that illegal modifications didn't have to go through all the bureaucracy as the official channels. He had them in his bag, and he supposed he would just have to make sure no one saw him adding them in the changing rooms.

0-0-0

Deku had needed to stay behind to fit the extra components into his costume, so he was running a bit behind the others. He had noticed that a lot of them had really flashy costumes that practically screamed what their quirk was, while Deku had gone for a more stylish appearance that wouldn't reveal too much. He had a dark green undershirt that was lined inside with armor plating over the spots of his body that he quirk didn't work as well, mostly the sides of his torso and just above the hip, and form-fitting black pants with similar armor. The sleeves of the undershirt has his shoulder and arm braces built into them, shoes that while at first glance looked like waiter shoes, were actually high grip sneakers, and a red vest lined with pockets that held various items like compact medical kits, smoke bombs, and other such gear. He also had simple-looking white gloves that were provided by the league that could magnetize, along with league provided soles on his shoes that did the same that would allow him to climb metal surfaces. Other than that there were a few cosmetic items, like a blood-red tie, pocket handkerchief and pocket watch on the belt. He was planning to pass himself off as The Well Dressed Hero. it was an easy thing to pull off in such short notice, and Kurogiri's knowledge helped. It was his help that had allowed hit to know how to tie a tie and properly button his vest.

When he finally caught up to the rest of the class he got some admiring glances, and some wolf whistles from the guys. He especially noted Yaoyarozu and Uraraka's glances. Good, the bait was cast, not to reel them in. He didn't say anything though, adjusting his gloves as All Might started speaking.

"Today we will be running mock battles. I'll pair you up in teams of two, then two teams will each fight in the battle, one side as heroes, the other side as villains. the situation will be this…" as All Might continued explaining the situation, Deku laughed internally at the irony. That he, a villain playing hero would now as a hero be playing heroes and villains. After the explanation, All Might began pairing them up. He smiled when he was paired up with Uraraka. This would be a good opportunity to start converting her to his side. And they were going to be the villains, while Bakugo and Iida would be Heroes. This was going to be interesting. He and Uruaraka headed into the building, where they found their "weapon" they had to protect on the fifth of 6 floors.

"Alright, Uraraka, you have a Zero-gravity quirk, and I have my strength, meanwhile Bakugo has explosion and Iida has his Engine that makes him very fast. Based on what I observed from the test Mr. Aizawa had us do on the first day, and based on how narrow and twisting these hallways are, Iida won't be able to get nearly to his top speed, meanwhile Bakugo is likely to just abandon Iida and come after me." Deku looked at the room around them. It was just barely tall enough to fit the fake weapon. He had memorized the floor plan already and looking at Uraraka he could see several plans he could do.

"Alright...here's the plan for how we win this"


End file.
